On Wednesday, representatives from warring Lebanon and Israel continued their maritime border negotiations.
Mediated by the U.S. and hosted by the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), the delegations’ latest meeting was deemed “productive” after the talks were also called “historic.”
However, it was recently reported that tensions were heightened between the longtime enemies over Lebanon’s new demands for over 1,400 square kilometers in addition to the currently disputed 860 square kilometer area.
Beirut-based oil & gas governance expert, Laury Haytayan, is referring to it as the “Battle of the maps.”
While Israel had reportedly refused Lebanon’s request, the U.S. and UNSCOL state they are “hopeful that these negotiations will lead to a long-awaited resolution.”
According to local media, Lebanon remained tunnel-visioned on its demand for a total of 2,290 square kilometers.
As always, the talks were held at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, south Lebanon. The delegations are set to meet again in early December.
